MELBOURNE BEACH — Former Melbourne Beach Police Chief William White filed a $1.5 million lawsuit Friday against the commissioners who fired him and asked a circuit judge to reinstate him as chief.

In a civil rights suit filed in Brevard Circuit Court, White said three of five commissioners voted to fire him Oct. 29, 1986, in retaliation for his refusal to penalize two police officers who campaigned against a former mayor.

Allen Duff Jr., Jean Becker and George Jones, the defendants named in the suit, are no longer on the commission.

White, who could not be reached for comment, is seeking $750,000 in compensatory damages, $750,000 in punitive damages and a jury trial.

In his suit, the former chief said he was fired without just cause.

The three former commissioners voted to fire White because of what they called inadequacies within his department.

James McCarthy, a captain in the department, was later appointed to replace White.

Before White was fired, the commission had placed him on 60 days' probation after conducting an audit of his department, officials said.

As a result of the audit, commissioners had asked White to submit three progress reports about improvements and new training and discipline policies. White presented two reports but asked four times to delay the final one because of medical problems.

Shortly after he was placed on probation, White suffered neck injuries in an automobile accident. He was on medical leave when he was fired, said his attorney, Vince Torpy of Melbourne.